Princeton Hotel · Photo: Sanfranman59 · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA puts El Granada’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 92% of U.S. towns, led by earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, El Granada gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns, #413 of 847 in California. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (40%), then river and rain flooding (29%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 1998.
Graded on FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value (NRI v1.20, December 2025), weighted by where residents live; flood claims are shown, not graded. How hazard risk is graded
What El Granada faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Earthquakes
River and rain flooding
Tsunamis
Shares are of FEMA’s expected building damage, the measure the grade uses; ranks compare each hazard’s building-damage rate with all 85,154 U.S. census tracts. In FEMA’s terms, river and rain flooding is FEMA’s “Inland Flooding” (rivers and streams overflowing their banks, or rain overwhelming drainage). FEMA defines coastal flooding as high or rising tides and storm surge, so surge damage is counted there. Drought isn’t listed: FEMA counts its losses in crops only.
What’s behind El Granada’s grade
Earthquakes are 40% of the building damage FEMA expects in El Granada, and El Granada’s rate of earthquakes damage is in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts. Tsunamis add 28%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
D #413 of 847 in California; higher expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of El Granada’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical California town has higher expected damage than 92% of U.S. towns; within the state, El Granada has less expected damage per building than 51% of California towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $4.9M a year in losses across El Granada: $4.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does El Granada flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 1998
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in El Granada, from FEMA’s records: 0.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 91% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The Pineapple Express - Southern1 claim · $20K
El Granada isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: San Mateo County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to El Granada
Disasters that paid out in El Granada itself (aid to households or repair grants to El Granada), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2022Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides13 households applied for aid$25K aid approved
San Mateo County has had 19 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Also 2 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in San Mateo County, 2010–2020.
Old photos of El Granada after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the El Granada archive →El Granada and its neighbors
El Granada has the lowest expected damage per building of the 3 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| El Granada | Dmore damage than 92% | earthquakes | 1 |
| Moss Beach | Dmore damage than 94% | earthquakes | — |
| Half Moon Bay | Dmore damage than 95% | earthquakes | 6 |
Hazard risk = FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade; the map is shaded by fifths of the same scale. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Get ready for what El Granada faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
- Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
- Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
- Strong shaking or a sudden drop in the sea means head for high ground now.
- Learn the tsunami route signs near the shore.
- Stay away until officials say it’s safe.
- Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
- Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
- Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in El Granada
Is El Granada at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, El Granada has higher expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #413 of 847 in California. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (40%) and river and rain flooding (29%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does El Granada flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in El Granada since 1998, $20K in all, or 0.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 91% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Pineapple Express - Southern (1).
Is El Granada in a flood zone?
Flood zones are drawn street by street, so the answer depends on the address: look it up on FEMA’s flood map. In San Mateo County, 31% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.8% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in El Granada?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for El Granada’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
What was the biggest storm in El Granada?
By FEMA money that reached El Granada, Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2022): 13 households applied for aid, $25K approved. By flood claims, Pineapple Express - Southern: 1 paid, $20K.
Is El Granada at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (40%), and El Granada’s rate for it is in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in El Granada.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where El Granada’s residents lived in the 2020 census; OpenFEMA: NFIP redacted claims, multiple-loss properties, community status book and residential penetration rates, housing assistance (owners and renters), public assistance funded projects, hazard mitigation properties and disaster declarations. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. FEMA’s model is an average of expected damage, not a forecast. How hazard risk is graded.